I just took a Core i5, 6 GB RAM laptop from 2011 and reinstalled Linux Mint and put in a 1 TB SSD. The difference between that and Ubuntu 23.10 and a 750 GB 5400 RPM drive was like night and day.

It’s a big improvement from making them from straw.

The problem is that ceramic and glass dishes often chip if they are in contact with each other in the dishwasher.

There is certainly a lack of perspective and empathy between those who spend their time concentrated on computer maintenance and those others who must perform other important tasks in their lives.

I, Telemarker.

Given that Microsoft software runs the government, I don’t see this happening very soon. They might as well be another branch of the US government.

Can’t wait for the subscription based Pi.

It’s quite likely a lot of Americans’ data is already being stored and perhaps mined in the Utah Data Center.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Data_Center

I would just assume your data could be there unless your computer has never been connected to the Internet. It’s simply too easy to hide surveillance in the processor (in the form of remote administration capabilities), the operating system (with remote updates), or the browser, or in the numerous security holes or likely zero-day exploits out there. The state of computer security is an absolute joke, and your 4096-bit RSA key is not keeping your data safe.

The NSA does not need money from asset forfeiture. This is one of the stupidest accusations I’ve heard of NSA. They have to be careful about how they use their intelligence to keep potential targets unaware of what they can or are snooping on. This would be the stupidest and most pointless use of their intelligence. Anyone they would share intelligence with must do so with the most absolute secrecy, and municipal and state law enforcement generally does not qualify. This doesn’t mean they’re not acting unlawfully, but knowing if they are is going to next to impossible.

You’ve got to point your dish at Mars first, otherwise you can’t hear it.

Don’t worry, they’ll destroy their printers for you, so you have to buy new ones.

This way if you align your monitor with the rotational axis of the Earth, the image appears to sit still in space.

Lithium makes more sense when weight is an issue, for example when you have to carry the battery around. Sodium batteries could be good for grid storage if they can be implemented as scale cheaply enough, especially using common materials.

These companies have to compete in a higher interest rate environment. Otherwise their stock will fall and they won’t be able to refinance debt. The free money era is over.

If there are commercials, why should someone need an Amazon Prime membership at all? It becomes just like broadcast TV then, and they should just allow anyone to watch to maximize revenue. They have all this AWS infrastructure to deliver video, why not maximize the use of it?

Quantum computers are only useful where you don’t deliberately want decoherence. Decoherence means an operation when you erase a bit, like for example when you overwrite a memory bit with a new value. This requires dissipation of energy and interaction with the outside world to reject the heat of the calculation to. While in principle a quantum computer can do a calculation that a classical computer can do, it would not be useful unless it was observed and this happens pretty much every time a logic gate output flips in a classical computer.

Not so far fetched:

“I predict in 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and only the five richest kings of Europe will own one.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxMqtuM6Ko

Maybe Netflix has decided that having their ads shown next to neo-Nazi propaganda is a good look for them.

It’s a wonder how Outlook and Exchange Server are used by most companies, many of which have sensitive confidential and proprietary data. Choosing Microsoft is all about having someone to blame for your security problems, not achieving secure communications and storage.

Infrared multispectral imaging would be interesting to see what is under the surface, if there are any pentimentos underneath.